54. Mental Break

What had just happened?

Had he just.....?

Danika was in a state of shock. Her eyes mirrored the shock that she felt as she stared up at Shane towering above her, to understand what had just happened. One minute she'd lost herself in the moment, as Shane thrust inside of her body, consumed by ecstasy and pleasure.

That wasn't the case now. All of that had gone out the window when the door had been jerked open, to spy Justin in the doorway.

Shane remained persistently positioned between her legs, until Justin safely retreated from the room. Relaxing when the man escaped the room, and the door closed behind his retreating body. Only to become aware that something had changed between them, Shane glanced down at her, confusion mirrored on his face. "Is everything okay, Danika?"

"Yes," she lied. "I'm fine."

He didn't believe her for an instant, his eyes mirrored the concern that he felt for her. "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"No, you didn't hurt me," Danika tried to reassure him, not wanting him to grow guilty for something that he hadn't done. "I must've worn myself out more than I realized."

"Okay," he said, clearly unsettled by the changes that'd taken place in her and wasn't certain what to think. Straightening the clothes to ensure all evidence of her nudity was concealed from sight, Shane took a step back. "Come on, I'm going to take you back to the room. You've been through quite a lot the last couple of days. I should've given you more time to recover."

For once Danika didn't attempt to fight against his decision of locking her away inside of his bedroom. She'd never done well with being cooped up inside all day long, having always felt suffocated indoors. Today, the knowledge of being locked away failed to have the same effect, as she could use the solitude. Right now Danika was relieved at the thought of being alone in the room, needing time and distance to deal with everything.

Her thoughts.

Her feelings.

Her vision.

Bringing his bedroom door open a couple of minutes later, he directed her through the doorway. A hand reached for the doorknob intent on closing it, but frowned when he spied her standing. "Are you sure everything is okay?"

Danikka glanced up into the face of the man towering overheard in the doorway, immediately recognizing the expression on his face. Having seen that same expression so many times in the ensuing years, worn by those that surrounded her. It was worry. Fear. It was the same expression that some of her more loving and understanding foster parents had worn. When they too were afraid of the mental state of the young girl in their care, scared she was losing her sanity.

"I'm fine," she lied again.

"Are you sure?" he persisted.

She nodded. "I'm good."

When the door finally closed behind his departure from the bedroom, a breath shuddered out of her. There for a minute as he'd stood in the doorway watching her carefully, she'd begun to fear that he wouldn't. The last thing Danika needed right now was him hanging around the bedroom asking questions. Namely for the concern that'd brightened his normally dull lifeless eyes, at the source of the unease inside her.

Stumbling away from the doorway when she heard the sound of the lock clicking home, her mind spun dizzily. Danika made it no further than the couch on the side, when her legs simply couldn't support her weight further. Dropping her head in the palm of her hands, deeply troubled by the thoughts that were going on inside of her head.

When Justin had barged in on them inside his office, Shane had instinctively wrapped his arms around her. The way Shane had shielded her from view, as if not wanting him to see her in such a state of undress. Danika hadn't been paying attention to the uncomfortable man in the doorway, her entire focus had been on the one planted between her legs.

His passionate expression had completely vanished in the face of Justin's sudden arrival in the room. Replaced by one of pure rage, his lips were curled back in a snarl and a growl had rumbled deeply in his chest. Much the same way a wolf would've done. Yet, it wasn't the growl—though it had freaked her out it wasn't the cause for her fear—it had been the eyes that'd been staring back at her. His normally dark eyes had brightened, they were almost...glowing.

No, there was no almost about it. His eyes were two glowing red orbs inside of his face, nearly identical to the ones she'd seen in the forest. The ones that she'd seen in the trees last night moments before Shane had stepped out in all his glorious nakedness, catching her flight of escape. The eyes that'd been haunting her, terrifying her. What the hell was going on? Who was this man? Could those....were those his eyes?

Danika vehemently shook her head to dislodge the thoughts that swirled around inside of her mind. All the while telling herself that she was wrong, that there was absolutely nothing for her to worry about. She couldn't have seen that. She couldn't have seen those eyes glowing in his face. After everything she'd been through the last week, was there a chance her mind had finally broken? Was she losing touch with reality? Having delusions that couldn't be real?

It wouldn't be the first breakdown she'd had. There had been quite a few of them that had happened over the years, far more than she'd ever been trusting enough to admit to anyone.

Following waking up from that "grizzly" attack Danika had been adamant about what had happened, but no one had been willing to believe her. Giant wolves were difficult enough to believe, but a blue one. Besides, the marks left on her body were far too large for a wolf to leave behind, only something like a bear could've left behind the gruesome scars. The more she'd insisted, the less people believed her. The doctors had tried explaining that it'd simply been the mind of a young girl trying to process what had happened to her, creating a protector. Her guardian wolf.

It hadn't helped matters that she'd seemed to have seen that wolf everywhere, in the backyards of the homes, from the bus on the way to school, always lurking in the shadows. It'd gotten so bad she'd spent six weeks in a hospital to help mend her broken mind. Nothing had ever changed, she'd simply gotten wise to keep the truth of what was going on inside of her head, being less trusting in telling people what she saw.

Danika became frightened that it was beginning all over again, it was the only thing she could seem to think of to explain away everything that'd happened. Justin's fingernails that felt like claws, the abnormal strength of those girls, how the three of them had the same glowing eyes & everyone referred to her as human. Her mind was finally breaking and soon Shane would realize just how crazy she was.

On the other hand maybe Shane would back out of the deal if he knew the truth, he wouldn't want some mental patient birthing his child. Would he? Her mind swam until she felt like she was going to get sick, rushing to the bathroom to throw up. Gathering up what little strength she had left, Danika stumbled her way to the bed and wrapped up inside of the blanket, she tried to calm her nerves.